Vice Versa (1988)

Fresh and Exciting

Best movie ever!

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

A magical Buddhist skull has been stolen from its temple. Marshall Seymour (Judge Reinhold) is a high-powered VP purchasing executive for a Chicago department store. He's on a buying trip in Thailand with girlfriend assistant Sam (Corinne Bohrer). Turk (David Proval) buys the skull and smuggles it inside Marshall's cargo. Turk and Lillian Brookmeyer (Swoosie Kurtz) are looking to retrieve their skull. Marshall is the often-absent father to Charlie (Fred Savage). His ex-wife Robyn (Jane Kaczmarek) leaves Charlie with him for a few days. They have a fight and the skull magically transforms them.The first obvious solution is for both of them to go to his job while calling in sick for the school. I would buy it more if Charlie refuses to go to Marshall's work. This is basic but weakly written body switching story. Both Reinhold and Savage are overplaying their switched personalities. Much of it is in the writing but they are able to get it back to some extend.

I vaguely remember enjoying this film as a child. Watching it a 2nd time now as a middle-aged man sheds a whole new light on this outstanding piece of work. There are parts that I'm sure I didn't find humorous back then that were absolutely hysterical this time around. Very subtle adult themes that went over my head now struck me as very clever. I'm very happy to have stumbled upon this movie again. I highly recommend this film, especially to those that remember viewing it back in the 80's. I've found it to be more enjoyable than Big or any of the other body swap movies of that time.

There was a seen in the movie where Judge Reinhold (already switched as his son by that point) was in the mall playing guitar with one other person on drums or vice versa he was playing the drums, Anyway I looked under the credits but I don't believe the manufacturer was listed for credit of the instruments. Could have been... Yamaha I don't know but I've been searching for this guitar for years. Anybody got any ideas as to the maker and model number of this guitar? I believe I saw it last night in an episode of "Flight of the Conchords" but I'm not sure if it's the same one.If anybody has any info on this guitar please leave a response here about it, I'll be checking back every other month to see if it's been revealed.Thanks for any help.

Vice Versa, despite the trite plot, distinguishes itself from other 80s body-switching comedies, because of the age and personality difference between the two characters. To watch Judge Reinhold act like a wild ten year-old trapped in an adults body and Fred Savage to act like a short-tempered middle aged man trapped in a child's body, it makes fine family fun and hilarious comedy. I think, in fact, it is Judge Reinhold in one of his finest moments, being allowed to act like a wild kid, curiously handling adult responsibilities with a child's touch. Marshall (Judge Reinhold) and his girlfriend take a business trip to Southeast Asia to order some cheap vases for their company's Christmas stock. The shipments get mixed up, and Marshall gets his hands on a strange looking sacred golden skull with mysterious powers that was supposed to be given to some bumbling theives who were going to sell it for a hefty price. Meanwhile, Marshall's son, Charlie (Fred Savage) is miserable, having to spend the holidays with his dad, an uptight work-a-holic who never seems to have time for Charlie, and usually scoffs at Charlie's suggestions for a little adventure. Charlie was optimistic about the vacation, but it seems that the two just can't get along at all. During an argument about how the other doesn't understand what it's like to be a kid/adult, they get their hands on the skull, and one...two...switcheroo. Charlie becomes Marshall and Marshall becomes Charlie. Like I said, the thing that makes this movie better than say, 'Like Father, Like Son' which is essentially the same deal (father and son switch), is the contrasting personalities and age differences of the two characters. Judge Reinhold goes from uptight middle-aged guy to a kid who's perpetually stoked about everything. He really turns things around in Marshall's life. And Charlie goes from regular little kid, to something of an arrogant smart-ass. Like 18 Again!, the characters are perfect for a story like this.